


Ocean time

by imladrissun



Category: Vampire Chronicles - Anne Rice
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-07-02 13:50:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15797823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imladrissun/pseuds/imladrissun
Summary: Side stories of side characters.





	1. Chapter 1

"Gonna steal me away?" he joked. He's come across Armand in an empty room; everyone else is occupied with whatever it is old people do. Daniel feels like he's never going to truly be able to fathom the minds of the ancients. Although they all have their weaknesses, their normal cares and fixations.

Armand seems terribly fragile, staring at him like he's afraid or something. Others might say he looks like he always does, but Daniel knows him. He knows his eyes, his emotions. He can read him very well after all this time, even after a brief separation. "I hope so," Daniel adds, to put him at ease. 

It works. Armand seems to relax at the edges, his eyes less full of hesitation and worry. Daniel hugs him out of habit; so many past embraces make it seem the natural thing to do. Armand had a strange way of submitting to being cared for, as if he liked it but couldn't ask for it. He would stand there and it would take a bit before he put his arms around him sometimes, but he enjoyed it upon being questioned; he had always enjoyed lying still while Daniel paid attention to him. Even things like brushing his hair, talking at him, or holding his hand were enough to soothe Armand through the days when he had a hard time with being immortal. 

For someone who was so reticent about his past, feelings, life and everything else, Armand could sometimes be open about other things in his own way. "I was thinking about you -- well, all the times I had any thoughts going on," Daniel continued. "About those flowers, and that sky, and your old clothes," but this is enough for his little boss. 

Armand clutched him harder after a moment, apparently realizing what he was talking about. While he was short, he's never seemed young to Daniel. He's always seemed to be protecting himself on some level, and has to keep himself so cold all the time. There have been many times when he's visibly tried to get past it, to do or say something, but he cannot. It looks excruciating, and Daniel's always told him it didn't matter. It's too painful to want in the end, he kind of stopped even wanting to know about his past. Not if it comes with that price.

Marius warned him that Armand is concerned he might resent him for his transformation... and what came after it. Now that it's clear that it triggered his episodes of depersonalization or craziness or whatever, it's led to Armand feeling somewhat responsible. Daniel's pretty sure he was going that way naturally beforehand; becoming immortal just accelerated the pace of it.

Not that he's going to verbally absolve him, that's never a good idea with Armand. The few times he had told him he forgave him for not making him immortal back then -- yes, he'd been drunk at the time -- Armand had gotten upset. Sadness was not a good look on him. For his cold outer shield to slip wasn't something Daniel wanted to see again. It was terrible to see him feel emotion he could not control for once, covering his face.

Armand does better when he's shown things repeatedly, as in how actions speak louder than words. After they had really lived together in earnest, before he'd begun to profess he'd never turn Daniel out of love, he'd tried to apologize for how he'd treated Daniel before. 

Apologies weren't a good look on Armand either. Cunning, cool reflection, a moue of distaste -- all those expressions were at home on his face. He had to like grind it out if he were trying to verbally apologize, he couldn't even do it well mentally back in the day. 

"Do you want to go home, together, boss?" Daniel said in a rush, bubbling over with the excitement and pleasure of being crushed in an inappropriately tight hug. All at once he realized that maybe Armand wouldn't even get what he meant: Night Island, not New Orleans, not Louis and the new people Marius had made for Armand. [He'd asked Marius if they were there to temporarily replace him for Armand as a joke, only to see Marius unable to answer. Marius had been surprised a few times by Daniel's comments, so he tried to tamp it down.]

"Yes, my love," Armand said intensely, and picked him and went right out the nearby open window. 

Daniel got him to stop, set him down, get on a plane and take a flight after a while, thankfully. There was only one instance of someone talking to Armand like he was a youth. That happened often, even if he was dressed very formally. Daniel had always noticed how it seemed to upset him, rather than a slight vexation, it was more than just an annoyance. 

He kept up his tradition of calling him 'boss' for this very reason. Armand had always liked it when he deferred to his greater wisdom, experience, or taste. Of course, that was one reason he'd been so disturbed to hear him refuse to back down on his desire to become immortal. But most of the time it gave Armand great pleasure to expound upon things to a willing audience. 

He almost never spoke of his own life, and Daniel had not asked Marius about it. He knew the story was out there to learn, now, but it seemed rude after Armand had resisted ever speaking of it. He now realized with sadness that if any of the story was good, he would have told him it. It was probably all painful for him. Armand had not asked him about his lowest moments [... pre-meeting him, that is]. If Armand wanted him to know, he'd tell him, or at least lead him on a verbal goose chase to get him there. 

Daniel was no expert on the ancient world, but it didn't seem like a good time for people. 

He could see why Armand couldn't stand to be around Marius for long though, the guy was great but he couldn't turn his inner teacher off. Everything had to be about learning, wisdom, books, books, blah blah blah. There was no space for playing weird computer games, or taking apart blenders. 

Daniel had taken to wearing his old glasses, with the glass replaced, out of habit. It was something comforting. Armand barely spoke the entire plane ride to Florida, but he'd crushed his hand, clasping it in public, almost the whole time. Usually they didn't do that too much, seeing as people did double takes upon seeing their age difference. Armand always tensed up just a little after it, even if it was pretty innocent and non-cruelly intended. Daniel tried to subtly avoid creating situations that would make Armand feel self-conscious. 

"I know you don't need a necklace again," Armand said, out of the blue, as they travelled by boat to Night Island from the mainland. They had often enjoyed being on the water together, talking about random things against the backdrop of the sky, the noise the water and the boat. 

What necklace? Dan had never been into jewelry. Everyone else probably owned shares in the velvet, lace and antique gem sectors in the stock market. He was okay in jeans. It was people from the past who wore heavy jewelry.

Armand was still holding his hand. They were laying on the deck of the boat, looking at the sky. Daniel turned to look at him, but he stayed watching the sky as if for something out of place. He was often most comfortable with not making direct eye contact, if they were having an emotional moment. The few times he didn't, Daniel took it upon himself to look away. It was just easier that way.

"The one you used to wear," he said, and Daniel suddenly got it. The blood necklace. The 'A' inscribed on it. 

He smiled. Armand's hair was more limp in the humid air, making him look less like a statue and more like a real person with needs upon emotions upon needs. And probably a case of something mental to protect himself and his heart. 

"Mm," he said, "make me one and I'll wear it. Sometimes you have good taste in accessories, Boss." Armand immediately turned to face him, taking the bait, but he couldn't totally keep the contentment off his face. "I always have impeccable taste. Has time not proven that?"

"Yeah, the blenders, machine parts and my cigarettes looked great as decor," Daniel said, and Armand's face creased like he himself wasn't sure if he was experiencing annoyance or love. He had a problem with emotional responses once in a while. Often, the simplest gesture could affect him to a ridiculous degree, as if Daniel had offered him a kidney instead of doing some small kindness.

He decided to spell it out. "I don't care about what happened afterwards; it is worth it." Armand's face took a turn for the worse, as if he couldn't believe that. "You had to watch, I was lost in it; it was harder for you."

Armand shrugged, but in a way that implied he wanted to nod, if only that weren't showing too much feeling. Weirdly, he was often like Louis, in Daniel's opinion. Some things were too uncouth for him to do. 

"Did you hear all the talk of mental powers?" Dan said. He kept going, pleased to find a positive note to end on. "Soon Maharet will figure out the rest of the thinking stuff, and we can try it." 

The boat slowed up, and they both got up slowly to disembark. "I did," was all Armand could say. Daniel had learned in time that his concise wording was often a way to keep himself from getting emotional. For them to be able to speak mentally would be huge for Armand; he was very into it.

The other immortals were all grace, charm and talking seamlessly like a perfect dinner party most of the time, but Armand was one of the more awkward, brusque ones. He could tolerate Louis, yes, but Armand did not care to spend time with Marius anymore. The man himself had even mentioned it offhand. 

[People had seemed to think that since he was crazy, Daniel couldn't hear anything. Just because he was busy perfectly building something or resting on the ground outside in weird temperatures didn't mean he hadn't listened. He knew way more than he wanted to, to be honest. Several people had spoken around him assuming he couldn't hear them.]

Armand pulled him through the dock by the hand, hurrying, and they walked all the way to an apartment they used to keep as one of their main haunts. The island was quiet, dark and it felt nice to be back with his current company. Armand pulled him into the elevator. There weren't very many mirrors on night island. Daniel hoped that wasn't some type of reaction on Armand's part to his life, but you never know. He made sure not to ask about it. 

"I have some things to look at," his companion noted, as he pulled Daniel out of the elevator and into their rooms. What he meant was loads of computer stuff, and games of all types. "Good, we'll have something to do tomorrow," said Daniel, not even sarcastically, for once. It was funny almost, how this was something comforting instead of annoying, now. 

Armand started pulling the comforter down on the bed, so Dan went and put his pyjamas on. He had never slept like the old ones, he still acted like a mortal. Armand often had liked to pick out his clothes, and indeed the drawers had fresh clothes at the ready. They both slept in peace, in an ecstasy of unspoken emotion. It was rest, though not totally fulfilling, the tiredness was real. 

The next day went as usual. Armand got into those games, with Daniel at the helm, trying to advise him. "I assume Marius told you all about me," he said, while in the middle of the latest Assassin's Creed game. Daniel blinked, surprised. "My life."

Daniel shook his head, not that Armand would look at him. At least with the machine he had an excuse. "No, he didn't say anything. I didn't ask him. He didn't even say you were hanging out with Louis and the new people." Gabrielle had told him, for some reason. 

It seemed good spirited, but Daniel couldn't figure out why. What should he care what Armand did with his old friends-slash-frenemies? Go for it. Variety was the spice of life and everything.

"Marius did that," Armand said, full of anger suddenly, kind of a propros. It was in a tone of distaste, and Daniel knew all at once that he meant Marius had turned those kids and Armand had not approved. 

"You didn't ask him for it?" he tried to clarify, and Armand shook his hard violently, almost in spite of himself. 

So Marius had tried to play the grownup once more, he thought. Armand must have been furious, seeing it as a reflection on his status or youth and his turning of Daniel. And his life in general. He was sensitive about being told what to do, or people making choices for him. 

Marius was book smart, and kind, but in a superior way. He was not life-smart. Daniel decided to turn the conversation to something safer, like Jesse's desire to start writing fiction and her determination to get Dan involved. He had not told her that he'd published before under a pseudonym. It seemed like it might be fun to collaborate. 

Well, at least digitally. Armand could be oddly jealous when there was no reason to be. He had often appeared to doubt Daniel could love him, and he thought it probably due to his looks. Daniel had not grown up in a society that was into that type of thing, and Armand knew it keenly. Anyway, Armand's face rarely if ever had the cast of youth about it at all, so he didn't think of him as young. Not that he knew a polite way to say that. He was more thousand yard stare and tired-looking most of the time; it was more a feeling or aura than his actual face, but a person's expression conveys all the words you need.

Quite a few people had approached him to do books. Louis was his main co-worker in terms of publishing, he had tons of good ideas with no modern hustle to get them written and out there in the hands of the public. That's where Daniel came in. He knew who to talk to, handled the writing, everything. Louis seemed very into it, but implied he wanted to keep it hush-hush, which Daniel had no problem with. He still called him 'boy' to his face, but it wasn't rude, it was just how he thought of him. As that boy he knew. 

Daniel had a lot of connections, mostly because of his early childhood and his biological parents. He hadn't talked about his family with Armand, who'd had no interest for that type of thing. Either family.


	2. Chapter 2

And so they lived on Night Island again. It was so much better than before, Armand reflected. He had gotten weaker [emotionally] with age somehow, and couldn't resist asking Daniel what he was thinking about all the time. He liked listening. 

And he only lied a few times. Armand rarely pressed him when he lied, loath to disturb this beautiful dream. Daniel was finally free of needing anything, even his favorite cigarettes. Eventually Armand realized that that also meant he didn't need him, for wasn't he another strange obsession, addiction, of his?

It saddened him to think of it, but he didn't want Daniel beholden to him. He was so full of life, and honesty, and lowkey fun. Armand felt he was the other side of his coin, the dark side to be frank, and so enjoyed every minute with him. Weirdly, though Daniel declined to spend time with the other older ones when asked. He would go if Armand implied he wanted him to, or that he wanted to accompany him, but other than that, no.

For the first time, Armand paid attention to him while he was busy -- in the past, he'd been so caught up in exploring technology that he hadn't really noticed his mortal companion. And then Daniel had been sick. Now, he realized that Daniel was always working on something, on his little computer. When Armand was deep into his deconstruction of blenders-mood, he made sure to keep an eye open and on his 'husband', as Daniel had called him when speaking to someone on the phone. 

Armand hadn't been listening in, he'd been... ... ... accidentally in the area and curious. Anyone would have done it. Anyway, Daniel had turned down some invitation and said he was busy doing some projects with his husband. He'd had to take a moment alone to process the onslaught of emotion. No one had ever stayed with him, in a real sense, before. He had been chosen as the best [as a painter] or most interesting [with Marius] but never just for himself. Now that Daniel had the dark gift, he'd feared he would leave him. 

[After his illness, even.] And yet he had come to him from Marius and chosen him over the old Roman. Armand felt like he was perennially in a good mood, but no one else could see it. That morning, when Daniel slept, he feigned sleep and rose to snoop through his computer. Daniel slept like a mortal, with only heavy drapes. 

The computer turned out to have loads of books on it, books he was writing, Armand supposed. One seemed to be a collaboration between him and Louis, not that Louis had ever informed him of it. Or of being in contact with his mortal. It was hard not to think of him like that; he'd called him that for ages, it had kind of stuck. And Daniel still constantly acted like a human. From his mannerisms to his behavior to his speech, it was never vampire-like. 

He set the computer aside, just where he'd found it and thought. Daniel was doing 'magic practice' [as he termed it] every day through video chats with Marahet. She insisted he do it in private, so Armand was banished from his space at those times. He had definitely listened at the door though. Daniel didn't care he was there, or he didn't notice; either was fine with him.

His lessons were very strange, but Armand was loath to mention them, disrupt them or question anything about it. So far, none were about speaking mind to mind, which disappointed him immensely. It was his dream to speak to Daniel that way again. 

He spent the next few weeks reading all the books on Daniel's computer; none were about him. He was upset by that somehow, which made no sense, he acknowledged. The heart never knows what it wants until it is denied it, he supposed.


End file.
